It’s crunch time for the four South African franchises when the United Rugby Championship (URC) restarts this weekend.
There’s been some brilliant and entertaining local derbies over the last month while the Six Nations took place. But now, the attention of the Lions, Sharks, Stormers and Bulls will shift to their European opposition as the tournament enters a critical stage ahead of the playoffs.
All four sides have six games to play before the quarterfinals and the Cape side is the only SA team outside of the top eight currently.
In eighth spot: The Lions
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The Johannesburg side occupies the last knockout spot and will kick-off their final stretch of games away from home against Cardiff in Wales on Friday (9.45pm). They face an uphill task to find momentum away from home after losing to the Sharks in their previous match.
It would’ve been a much-needed break for head coach Ivan van Rooyen and his players to dial in again, as they seek a first berth in the URC play-offs and Champions Cup qualification. They owe their supporters back-to-back wins, and they’ve been struggling with this.
A victory over Cardiff will strengthen their position on the points log and see them leapfrog their opponents. After all, finishing in the last qualifying spot will mean a quarter-final against Leinster and it’s something they must avoid. That can only happen if they string winning performances together over the next weeks – home and away.
Moments before the final whistle 🙌🙌@vodacom #URC #SHAvLIO pic.twitter.com/8VVtFY8PJ7
In the Top 4: The Sharks
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They can’t fall out of the Top 4 when they take on Zebre Parma on Saturday (2.45pm kick-off) in Durban, but if results go their way, they could possibly finish the week in second place.
An easy five points should wait at Kings Park for the home side because Zebre is second from the bottom in the tournament. Playing away from home against a rejuvenated Sharks in the heat of Durban will also be a tough ask.
While it could be an easy clash, John Plumtree will have to manage his team well over the next two weekends to ensure they do not lose the winning momentum they’ve picked up. Defending champions Glasgow Warriors (second on 44 points) and the Bulls are within their reach, and a final push over the six games could see the coastal side end up in a favourable play-off spot.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS - 22 MARCH 2025 🔥🔥🔥
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) March 10, 2025
🐂Vodacom Bulls vs Leinster
⏰KICK-OFF: 17:00
📍LOFTUS
🎟️TICKETS ➡️ https://t.co/m0aR7qpPm9 @Vodacom #URC | @URCOfficial_RSA #ForeverBlue | #ComeHome pic.twitter.com/MOMobDoWHo
Holding onto third: The Bulls
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They arguably have the toughest challenge of the South African sides as Leinster visits Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon (5pm kick-off). But this clash could be the crucial one that kickstarts the Bulls’ fight to stay in second until the end of the round-robin clashes next month.
Some back-to-back wins will be high on the priority list for the Jake White-coached side. They’ve lost a couple of important local derbies at their stronghold and the Irish powerhouse will come to South Africa to strengthen their grip on first position.
The Bulls were the only team able to challenge them for the top spot a couple of games ago, but those losses to the Sharks and Stormers in Pretoria hurt their chances. They have second place in their hands for the moment and their backline must come to the party in the next games to complement the hard work their forwards do if they are to stay abreast of the chasing Warriors and Sharks.
Feel the passion from pitchside as our Defence Coach Norman Laker gets into his work. #iamastormer #normy pic.twitter.com/K3iZLYlV5q
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) March 11, 2025
Struggling in 12th: The Stormers
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Wins overseas. That is what is required from the Stormers when they restart their campaign in Wales against the Scarlets on Saturday (5 pm kickoff). If they fail to get victories from their next two clashes, they will be in real trouble for the playoffs.
Having one victory away from home in the URC this season is just not good enough and the Scarlets and Ulster (their next opponent) will have taken note of their poor form away from the DHL Stadium.
Apart from the top four teams looking secured, the URC log is bottlenecked as the hunt for the top eight intensifies. The Stormers will welcome back some firepower in their backline for the clash at Parc Y Scarlets with the expected return of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Damian Willemse. It might just be the boost needed to propel them into a knockout place and join the other SA teams.
